Quiz: Howstuffworks

Can You Get More Than 11 Right on the Ultimate Baseball Quiz?

John Miller

Image: Donald Miralle/Digital Vision/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Perhaps it’s partly America’s obsession with Old West lore that makes this game so enthralling. A gunslinger pitcher strides to the mound in front of thousands of spectators, squints hard at the plate, and then unleashes his full fury toward the batter. And with a wooden weapon, the batter will do his best to win the duel. And so it goes in America’s favorite pastime – baseball. But what do you really know about professional baseball in the United States?

Although America claims the game for itself, baseball first came to life in England during the 1700s. The game crossed the Atlantic and in the mid-1800s, it became a fad for the ages, starting in New York. From there, diamond-shaped fields began springing up all over the country. Do you know any of the first teams in Major League Baseball?

More than any other sport, baseball is saturated with statistics. Data crunchers track the performance of every player, comparing them to legends of the past. From home runs to strikeouts to stolen bases, do you know some of the sport’s most amazing feats?

Wind up for this pro baseball quiz now! We’ll wager you’ll strike out on a few of these tough questions.

He's a sure Hall of Famer. In 2009, which team drafted a dominant player named Mike Trout?

Cincinnati Reds

Boston Red Sox

Arizona Diamondbacks

Los Angeles Angels

He's a once-in-a-generation talent. In 2009, the Angels nabbed Mike Trout in the draft. He was named Rookie of the Year and has been named an All-Star over and over again.

Which city's team is known as the Orioles?

Denver

Seattle

Phoenix

Baltimore

The Baltimore Orioles were one of the AL's charter teams. But the team didn't get its start in Baltimore -- it was founded in Milwaukee, moved to St. Louis, and finally found its place in Maryland in 1953.

His power was off the charts. Which player was called "Hammer"?

Walter Johnson

Honus Wagner

Nolan Ryan

Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron was one of the best ever to play the game. The "Hammer" was particularly adept at hitting, as he had 3,771 hits in his career.

Cal Ripken Jr. was famously durable. He played how many consecutive games?

281

672

911

2,632

They called him "Iron Man" for a reason. Ripken holds the record for consecutive games played -- a jaw-dropping 2,632 in a row.

Just take your base, already. Who was intentionally walked more than any other player?

Fred Glade

Craig Gentry

Barry Bonds

Albert Belle

Pitchers feared him. Barry Bonds, by a hilarious margin, was walked more than any other player. He had 688 intentional walks; Albert Pujols was second, with 310.

It lasted decades. In 1945, a famous curse was reportedly placed on which team?

Minnesota Twins

Kansas City Royals

New York Mets

Chicago Cubs

In 1945, a bar owner named William Sianis was booted out of Wrigley Field (because he had a smelly pet goat with him), so he supposedly hexed the Cubs with a curse. If he did, it worked. The team didn't win the World Series again until 2016.

It was a feat for the ages. What did Matt Davidson do on opening day 2018?

Hit three home runs

Smacked 18 foul balls

Struck out nine batters

Ate more hot dogs than Babe Ruth

On opening day 2018, Davidson hit three home runs. He was just the fourth player ever in MLB history to launch three home runs on the first day of the season.

Who is the only person ever to hit both an MLB home run and score an NFL touchdown … in the same week?

Deion Sanders

John Elway

Bo Jackson

Michael Jordan

In 1989, Deion Sanders smacked a home run for the Yankees' Triple-A club. That weekend, after drawn-out contract issues, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons and scored a touchdown.

It's a strange but true tradition. Before they're used in games, what happens to all MLB baseballs?

They're rubbed in mud.

They're blessed in church.

They're tested for floatability.

They're given names.

Baseball is full of quirks. One of them is mud -- a special mud from New Jersey -- which is rubbed all over the balls to give them a bit more grip.

Barry Bonds was a crazy-good hitter. Of his 12,606 plate appearances, what percentage ended with either a walk or a home run?

About 8 percent

About 15 percent

About 26 percent

About 49 percent

Bonds was good as gold at the plate. More than 26 percent of his appearances at the plate resulted in at least a walk … or a home run.

He was a big (as in large) star on the diamond. For which team did Kirby Puckett play his entire career?

Oakland Athletics

Minnesota Twins

Texas Rangers

St. Louis Cardinals

Puckett was a beloved center fielder for the Twins in the '80s and '90s. In just 10 seasons, he logged 2,000 hits, the second-fastest ever to that mark.

It's one of the sport's most coveted titles. Who holds the record for most career home runs?

Babe Ruth

Barry Bonds

Jose Altuve

Willie Mays

Barry Bonds has 762 home runs to his name … but his name is forever stained by the sport's major steroids scandal.

Few players get such an epic moniker. What is Noah Syndergaard's nickname?

"Thor"

"Comet"

"Jesse"

"Ty"

Noah Syndergaard has a rocket arm that made him an All-Star. But it's his flowing blond locks and chiseled chin that earned him the nickname "Thor."

But she never played. When was the first female selected in the MLB draft?

1898

1923

1945

1993

It wasn't until 1993 that a woman (Carey Schueler) was selected in the draft, by the White Sox. But it was a move motivated by nepotism and the team clearly never intended to sign her to an actual contract.

He was a walking Swiss Army knife. How did Babe Ruth begin his career?

A catcher

A third baseman

A shortstop

A left-handed pitcher

Ruth is most famous for his hittng and his exploits in the outfield. But he began his career as a left-handed pitcher.

It hardly ever happens. What did Yankees' player Aaron Judge do in August 2016?

Homered in his first plate appearance

Caught six fly balls in a row

Commited five errors

Broke four bats (one over his knee)

Judge made a bit of history for himself in 2016. He strode calmly to the plate, and in his very first appearance, sent a home run sailing over the bleachers.

It's a stat that really matters in this game. Who has more career RBIs than anyone else?

Barry Bonds

Ted Williams

Willie Mays

Hank Aaron

Hank "Hammer" Aaron had a nose for the ball. His 2,297 career RBIs are more than any other player, helping his team (Milwaukee) nab many close wins.

He had more than one. What was Jimmie Foxx's nickname?

"Home Run"

"Trophy"

"Ed"

"Double X"

Foxx played 20 seasons in the major leagues, and he was a fearsome hitter. "Double X" was also known as "The Beast" for his powerful batting skills.

He was close to perfect. Which record does Nick Markakis hold?

Most foul balls in a row

Longest home run

Most strikeouts in a game

Consecutive games without an error

Nick Markakis set the record (398) for games without an error. The right fielder had his best days with the Orioles and the Braves.

He couldn't get enough. Why did Babe Ruth want to convert from pitcher to outfielder?

He wanted to run more.

He knew his pitching was going downhill.

He wanted to play every day.

He liked the attention.

Ruth was an effective pitcher but he hated days off -- he wanted to play every game. By switchng to outfielder he got his wish.

He had a rubber band for an arm. Which pitcher holds the best career ERA?

Russ Ford

Ed Walsh

Lew Richie

Nolan Ryan

In 1904, Ed Walsh took the field for the Chicago White Sox for the first time. No one knew then that he'd become the all-time ERA (1.88) leader in MLB history.

It's a triple-digit monster. What's the greatest number of wins any team has ever won in a season?

100

116

134

181

In 1906 and 2001, the Cubs and Mariners, respectively, made it to a whopping 116 wins. The '98 Yankees managed to scrape out 114.

By today's standards, it was a pauper's salary. Adjusted for inflation, what would Babe Ruth's salary be today?

About $30,000

Roughly $90,000

About $230,000

Just over $1 million

It shows how wealthy today's league is. Ruth topped out at around $80,000 per season during his career, which would be just over $1 million today -- a figure that's at the bottom rung of what average players make.

He's a streak of amazingness. What is Mike Trout's nickname?

"Mikey"

"The Millville Meteor"

"Hank"

"Rainbow"

It was a late addition to his career. Once he hit the pros, Trout became known as "The Millville Meteor," after the high school he attended in New Jersey.

The Cubs weren't the only "cursed" team. Which other team was famously cursed in its pursuit for a title?

Pittsburgh Pirates

New York Mets

Kansas City Royals

Boston Red Sox

It was called the "Curse of the Bambino," the 86-year title drought in Boston. And the curse supposedly started when the Red Sox traded away Babe Ruth to the Yankees.

It scarred the sports world. Which team was scandalized because it purposely lost the 1919 World Series?

Chicago White Sox

New York Yankees

Florida Marlins

Boston Red Sox

Eight players on the Chicago White Sox were charged with throwing the 1919 World Series in exchange for cash. The debacle has always had murky details, but one thing is for sure -- all eight men were banned from the sport for life.

It's still an amazing feat. How many times was Jimmie Foxx named MVP?

Never

Once

Twice

Three times

Fox made his debut in 1925. No one knew then that before his career was over, he'd be a three-time MVP, still tied for the second-most ever.

He was a child. How old was Hank Aaron when he had his first major league tryout?

12

15

17

18

At the tender age of 15, the Brooklyn Dodgers gave the precocious Hank Aaron a pro tryout. Although he didn't make the league that year, he eventually became a 25-time All-Star.

He was no slouch. What was Babe Ruth's ERA before he switched to outfielder?

3.62

2.28

1.56

5.63

Ruth wasn't just an amazing hitter. He was a powerful pitcher, too, one with a career 2.28 ERA … far better than some modern starters.

Rickey Henderson set this devious mark. What is his famous record?

Most singles

Highest foul ball

Career stolen bases

Most batters hit

Rickey Hendersos was tricky as all get-out when he reached base … because he always tried to take another when the pitcher wasn't looking. He stole 1,406 bases, far more than second-place Lou Brock (938).

His arm was legendary. Which player was known as "The Rocket"?

Roger Clemens

Stan Musial

Hank Aaron

Ty Cobb

Roger Clemens had a long and legendary career, and although he was accused of using steroids, "The Rocket" still stands as one of the best pitchers ever to take the mound.

It was incredibly bad luck. Steve Bartman became famous for what act?

Attempting to get an autograph

Falling from the bleachers at Yankee Stadium

Becoming the worst manager ever

Trying to catch a foul ball

In the 2003 National League Championship, spectator Steve Bartman (along with other fans) tried to catch a foul ball … but accidentally interferred with a possible Cubs out. The Marlins roared back to win the game and the series, and Bartman was seen as a reason that the Cubs' long title drought just kept going.

Why did Cal Ripken Jr.'s streak of consecutive games played finally come to an end?

He was injured.

He voluntarily ended the streak.

He was caught in traffic and missed the game.

He was attacked by crazed fan.

After more than 17 straight years of games, Ripken had finally had enough. He volunteered to end the streak at 2,632, one that could last for generations to come.

He's No. 1 in many hearts. Who's SECOND on the list of career home runs?

Bryce Harper

Roger Clemens

Joey Votto

Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron smacked 755 home runs in his career, more than anyone other than Barry Bonds. And because he didn't use steroids, some fans think he should be considered No. 1.

He played for three teams. With which team did Babe Ruth end his career?

L.A. Dodgers

New York Yankees

Chicago White Sox

Boston Braves

Ruth played legendary stints with the Red Sox and Yankees. In 1935, he put the bat away for good as a member of the Boston Braves.

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